Working with Guidance Plans

• Component Overview
• Summary State
• Plan State
• Redraft Plan State
• Error Messages
• Considerations for Working with Service Assistant

Component Overview

When the Service Assistant component is added to the case record page, service reps use the component to draft service plans and execute the plan steps. Check out this video to learn how service reps use the component to resolve cases. For additional details, review the information that follows. To open the video in full-screen, click here.

The Service Assistant component is available to service reps if they have the Service Planner User permission set. The component is hidden from service reps without the permission set.

Also, in order to use the component, the case must meet your ‌‌Service Plan Eligibility Criteria. If the case doesn’t meet the criteria and the service rep has the permission set, the component shows a message that the case isn’t eligible for a service plan.

Service reps work with the component in three operational states: Summary State (1), Plan State (2), and Redraft Plan State (3).

Summary State

In the summary state, service reps receive an overview of the case so they don’t have to read through the case feed. Here’s an example of the summary state and a few details about what occurs in this state.

Case Summary

• When the case record page is opened and the case meets the eligibility criteria, the component summarizes the case and provides a high-level overview of what they can do to resolve the case, known as summary steps.
• The component shows the date and time for the creation of the summary and summary steps.
• Service reps can rate the accuracy and helpfulness of the summary by using the Feedback component.
• If a service plan summary isn’t provided or you see a message that a summary can’t be provided, make any edits to the Subject or Description field. Then, click the Sync button or refresh the case record page. For example, add extra periods to the description.

Drafting a Service Plan

• Service reps click Draft Plan to create a service plan.
• The component enters the drafting state where the Draft Plan button is disabled.
• If the Service Assistant agent is deactivated in the summary state, an error message appears, and the Draft Plan button becomes disabled.

Draft Plan Availability

• The Draft Plan button is disabled for closed cases.
• Service Assistant uses the Subject and Description fields to match the case to a subagent and decide whether the case needs a plan. Both fields must clearly state the issue. Otherwise, the Draft Plan button can be disabled, or you can see an error message such as “There’s not enough information to draft a service plan summary.” To resolve this, state the issue clearly in both fields, and then refresh the page.
• If the case contains text indicating that the issue is resolved, or the Description doesn’t highlight a clear issue, Service Assistant concludes that there’s no issue to resolve. The Draft Plan button is disabled, and you can see the message “Looks like the issue is resolved, so there’s no need for a service plan.” Modify the Subject and Description to state a clear issue, and then refresh the page. The Draft Plan button appears.

Subagent Assignment

• The component shows Service Plan Available followed by the name of the subagent assigned to the case. Service Assistant builds the plan from the instructions in that subagent and from knowledge articles if a data library is attached to the agent.
• Service Assistant is an issue-specific agent that needs a subagent for each type of issue you want it to help service reps resolve. If you create only a general-purpose subagent, such as “Issue Resolution Assistance,” Service Assistant can’t generate an accurate service plan. Service reps see the plan summary with the Draft Plan button disabled, one of the following error messages, or both.
  • “We couldn’t draft a service plan summary, but we’ll keep trying. If the issue continues, contact your Salesforce admin.”
  • “There’s not enough information to draft a service plan summary. Add more details, then check back here.”
  • “We couldn’t draft a service plan because no relevant topics exist. Ask your Salesforce admin to create one, or add more context to the item.”
• For example, a case describes a disputed credit card charge, but the only subagent you have is Issue Resolution Assistance. The service plan summary either fails to generate, or Service Assistant assigns the general-purpose subagent, shows Service Plan Available: Issue Resolution Assistance, and disables the Draft Plan button. Although the Subject and Description clearly state a credit card dispute, the subagent doesn’t have enough context to draft an issue-specific service plan, even if you use knowledge grounding. To fix this, create a subagent for the issue, such as Credit Card Dispute Resolution, with instructions for resolving it.

Plan State

In the plan state, service reps draft a service plan and execute the steps. Here’s an example of the plan state and a few details about what happens in this state.

Drafting a Service Plan	After service reps click Draft Plan, the component shows an active service plan with step-by-step guidance for resolving the case. The case summary steps from the summary state aren’t included. If a service plan takes longer than 2 minutes to generate, service reps must refresh the page. The plan is organized into sections that provide a logical sequence of steps: Gather Information, Work the Case, Resolve the Case, and Wrap Up. Service reps execute the steps and mark them as complete. The plan’s progress is automatically saved when steps are marked as complete. A service plan doesn’t require any steps to be completed or marked as complete. Several service reps can collaborate on a case with a service plan. We recommend that each service rep click the Sync Plan button regularly to make sure they have the latest plan progress when steps are marked complete.
Closing a Service Plan	If a service rep completes a plan, they click Close Plan. The plan enters a read-only state. Closing a plan doesn’t close the case. Conversely, closing the case doesn’t close the plan. If multiple service reps are working on the same plan and one rep closes the plan, the other reps see the component as read-only when they sync the plan or change the plan. Service reps can rate the accuracy and helpfulness of the plan using the Feedback component.
Error States	If the Service Assistant agent is deactivated in Setup, the drafted service plan shows an error message to indicate the deactivation. However, the service representative can still execute the service plan. If the case is closed while a service plan is in progress, the service reps see a notification that the case is closed. The service plan remains in an active state in the case.

Redraft Plan State

In the redraft state, service reps click the Redraft Plan button to receive a new service plan with the latest case information. Here’s an example of a redraft plan state and a few details about what occurs in this state.

State function	Details
Redrafting a Service Plan	When a case has new information and no steps in the original plan are marked as complete, the Redraft Plan button shows under the plan summary. Redrafting a plan is optional. New case information includes any changes or additions to the Case fields used to ground Service Assistant or changes to the topic assigned to the case. Topic changes include: Updates to the label, scope, and descriptions Addition of new instructions Deletion or updates of existing instructions Addition of new actions and deletion of existing actions. Updates to existing actions aren’t considered context changes. Any changes made to a quick action name or instruction after service plans are generated aren’t considered new case information. The Redraft Plan button won’t display in the component. When a service rep clicks the Redraft Plan button, the component enters a read-only state to indicate that the creation of a plan is in progress. When a redrafted plan is presented, the previous plan isn’t accessible. When multiple service reps are working on a case with a service plan and the case has new information, both reps see the Redraft Plan button. This scenario occurs only when no steps are marked as completed in the plan. When a service rep closes a plan in the redraft state, the plan and the Redraft Plan button are deactivated.
Redrafting Ineligibility	If any steps in the original plan are marked as complete and there’s new information in the case, the Redraft Plan button doesn’t show. However, if you deselected the completed steps, the button shows. If the case is closed when the plan is redrafting, the service rep receives an empty plan. However, the service plan and Redraft Plan button remain active.
Error States	If the Service Assistant agent is deactivated in the Redraft State, an error message shows and the Redraft Plan button isn’t shown. If the case status changes to closed, service reps receive a notification that the case is closed. The service plan remains in an active state.

Error Messages

If Service Assistant can’t draft a service plan or plan summary, service reps can see one of these messages.

• “We couldn’t draft a service plan summary, but we’ll keep trying. If the issue continues, contact your Salesforce admin.”
• “We couldn’t draft a service plan summary. Contact your Salesforce admin for help.”
• “There’s not enough information to draft a service plan summary. Add more details, then check back here.”
• “I don’t have enough information to help with your request. Add more details and try again.”
• “We couldn’t draft a service plan because no relevant topics exist. Ask your Salesforce admin to create one, or add more context to the item.”
• “We couldn’t draft a service plan because we couldn’t find any related topics. Ask your Salesforce admin to create a relevant topic, or try again.”
• “Looks like the issue is resolved, so there’s no need for a service plan.”

These messages usually mean one of the following.

• A general processing error occurred.
• The Subject and Description don’t include enough details about the issue.
• The case or your grounding sources contain information that indicates the issue is resolved.
• No subagent matches the issue, or the only subagent that applies is general-purpose.

To troubleshoot, try these steps.

• Refresh the case record page, or make a small edit to the Subject or Description and click Sync.
• Make sure that the Subject and Description clearly state the issue.
• Make sure that you have a subagent created for the issue. Create one subagent for each type of issue, with instructions for resolving it.
• Remove information in the Subject, Description, case comments, case feed, or case emails that indicates the issue is resolved, and then refresh the page.
• Make sure that the ServicePlanner User has access to the case comments, case emails, case feed, and any grounding sources that you use.
• For more troubleshooting steps for each message, see Troubleshoot Service Assistant Error Messages.